Chapter 5
Second month of 194 AC
I shake as another blast of icy winds hits me and the convoy. Even under heavy wool tunic, leather and fur we can feel it very well. My horse stopped for a moment before I got her going again.
"Cnut are we there yet! My balls are freezing " William complains to me as he shakes under two layers of fur.
" yeah, see there the keep" I answer him and encourage the convoy to keep going. Our horses make their way through the ankle deep snow and with some pulling wagons. It's a good thing horses in the North are used to these winter condition.
A thick blanket of snow cover the ground, the sky cover in clouds, light snowfall and icy wind blowing in your face. My men wore the now popular ushanka and thick scarves cover their faces. We soon reach the gate of the holdfast, Theo bangs the large door and shouts if anyone is there.
" who are you and what the bloody heck are you all doing out in this storm" someone eventually shouts back to us after a few minutes of waiting.
" I am Lord Harthacnut of House Knytlinga. I wish to speak with Lord Fisher and I come bearing provisions" I answer him and hear the door being unlocked. Its swing open and a old man appears looking tired and worn out.
" food! You have food for us!?" he exclaims in awe and let's me in once he sees the wagons. I lead my men into the holdfast and see people in rough shape staring at us.
Once at the keep we let in and meet Lord Fisher. He looks like he been having a very bad month and his clothes are close to being threadbare. He looks older than his age of 41, his hair mostly brown has gray in it and his dark brown eyes stare at me curiously. He greets me kind and offer the usual guest rights.
I shake his hands and show him the wagons full of supplies. He stares amazed at them and asks why.
" your messengers Edward stopped by Gondor on his way to Winterfell about two weeks ago and he explained what your situation to me. I had plenty of supplies for this winter and it be a shame for your House to die out from hunger."
I answer him and pull out a sack of grain from a wagon. Others help unload the wagons and bring the supplies into the keep. Lord Fisher already issuing some rations to his small folks. And I won over his meek wife and four kids ( one boy and three girls) with stories of my adventures especially about campaign against the Ironborn raiders.
Later after a light dinner, I join him in his small study and we discuss the current situation. House Fisher has always been a less well off House but with the Ironborn raids and lost of much of their smallfolk to them. It's impoverished them and Stoney shore isn't really fertile lands beside having good fishing off the coast.
Most of their crops were destroyed, eaten by foes or friends and wasted away from not being harvest. And much of their fishing fleet was captured or destroyed but it weren't matter much since they don't have many fishermen left around to man them. Winter supplies were short because of this and despite rationing what they could gather, they had no choice to send a messenger to Winterfell for help.
What I brought should last them for months with careful rationing. I turn our discussion to the idea of our Houses working together come spring. Lord Fisher jumped in without me having to convince him. He also has some ideas but the lack of funds and partners has halted them.
But over a few glasses of ale we agreed to developing a road and a few things. The man excite at the thought of our future partnership. His keep is warm and comfortable, me and my men stayed for three day to wait for the storm to pass. Lord Fisher during this time told me about the local history of Stony Shores.
On our last night there I tasted a meal of fish and chips. Well a Westeros version, the salmon fry but not the same as I were like and the potatoes lightly cook but salted. I gave Lord Fisher's cook suggests to improve it. Lady Fisher told me the dish was a local favorite and she is a homely woman. With brown hair, average height and black eyes.
She sat next me at the table and gave a smile before I felt a hand touching my thigh. I look at her and she winks at me. The touching goes on and I try to act normal but it becomes harder once she found her target.
Thankfully the dinner ends before we discovered by anyone. Later that night in my room, after some drinking with guards I find Lady Fisher waiting on my bed and she wore nothing but a wicked smile on her face.
" does your husband know your here my lady" I ask and locked the door.
" He does and this is our way of thanking you Lord of Gondor" She seductive told me as she walks up to me and pulls me to bed.
Next morning
" until we meet again Lord Fisher " I say as I lead my men through the holdfast. The lord and his people wishes a safe journey home and a grinning Lady winks at me when nobody's looking.
I smile, despite feeling tired and a little sore last night was great.
We ride out to a clear sky and a thick blanket of snow on the ground. All of us in winter gear and face cover as we traveling the road. The most of the wagons were left behind as gifts to House Fisher , on the third day we lost one when a wheel breaks so we abandoned it and sheltered at some abandoned holdfast on sixth day.
It took a further nine days to get home. On the way we found some game to catch and for a night stayed at a Holdfast held by a Masterly House.
Masterly Houses are pretty much like Land Knights of the south. The Master of the holdfast greet me and gave guest rights. We shared what food we had with him and I told a few stories during dinner.
He told me a bit of news and none of it nice. Umber lands are starving along with Karstark lands too and Lord Manderly nearly started a war when he was charging higher import tax on grain leading to grain prices tripling. An alliance of several minor Houses nearly march on White Harbor before Brandon stepped in and defuses the situation by ordering Lord Manderly to return the tax to normal and prices fell.
Lord Bolton raided the Lands of House Hornwood when the Lord Hornwood tax grain shipments passing his holdings. Again Brandon stepped in to halt further raids.
The next day we left the holdfast in the morning and reach Gondor by the third week. The palisade wall stood thick and well built. The guards had the main gate open when they saw my banner. A few folks were out on the streets, some cleaning snow out, shopping or just walking. They all greeted me and step aside as my party rode to my longhall.
Dacy already had a warm bath draw for me and fresh set of clothes waiting. I washed up, dry and dress before joining her for a meal.
" so any interesting happened while I was gone sis?" I ask while taking a bite out of my burger. She wolfs down some fries and looks at me.
" nothing much Cnut, some more people came for shelter, held court last week, check our stores and ran the household like usual." She answer me and drank some ale from a horn.
We discussed a few more things before I decide to hold court after our meal. I changed into suitable clothes and gave orders to my guards to announce my court is in session.
I sat in my "throne" in the main room of my longhouse a little later. Sure enough a crowd of folks hoping for a audience today gathered. The first case of the day is a mother claiming one of my guards deflowered her daughter and refuses to marry her despite she with child. I call up the guard to speak and he claims she a whore.
The mother nearly attacks him and I call up the girl too. She claims he the only man she been with. Some of the townsfolk also speak up for her and confirm her story saying no one besides him have courted her.
With this in mind I order the guard to wed the girl. He complains until I tell him its that or find a new job.
Next case brought forward is a baker who got greedy and mix sawdust in his flour. My guards confirmed this when they raided his bakery as he was mixing. I have him fined 10 stags and a week in jail. The baker accepts his punish with a nod and led away.
Next case is one of rape, a local man was caught raping a young girl two days ago and nearly beaten to death by the people. I didn't even need any witnesses for this one since he was caught red handed and sentence him to be geld then exile for his crime. The man screams and begs for mercy as he being carry off outside for his punishment.
After him was a man who murdered a family of three because he got into a fight with one of them. He killed them during the night and my guards on patrol caught him trying to escape with the murder weapon and blood on his clothes. I didn't need to think much on that and sentenced him to death by beheading. He screamed he innocent and curse me before being gagged.
My next case was a simple one of thieving and I sentenced the thief to six months in jail. A few more minor cases are brought forth before I end it for day.
I went outside to the courtyard where the rapist from earlier is crying while trying to stem the blood coming from where his manhood once was. I saw one of my guard feed a dog it and laughs at him.
I order the rapist to be carry and toss out of Gondor now.
The murderer is cursing through his gag as he held to the chopping block. I draw Red Rain and lift it over his neck.
" in the name of Lord Stark and King of Westeros Daeron II, I Lord of Gondor, Harthacnut Knytlinga sentence you to death for the crime of murder" I shout out for the people that gather to watch.
I swing the blade down and in a instant remove his head from his shoulders. His blood shoots out from the stump of his neck and body goes limp. His head is quickly mounted on a stake as a warning to criminals. The rest of him I have torn to pieces and toss outside the town to wild animals.
The cousins of the murdered family thanked me for bringing justice to them. Later on once in my room nearly threw up and felt sick at today execution. I wished I could use someone else for it but I remember Ned Stark's words on who should swing the blade. A mug of ale helped and I went to bed early that night.
Next morning Dacy took me to a warehouse to show me what she been working on since I was gone. And once inside I see at least three or four dozen women working on looms. Then I see their making jeans like my and Dacy grins at me.
" your making my style of pants" I said and she nods.
" yeah, some of your men liked them and ask me where you get them. So I had some made and once our townsfolk saw them wearing it they wanted your pants too. I open a workshop in this warehouse and decided to call them Harts after you since you never gave them one" she told me and handed me a pant of black Jeans… or Harts now.
They look like my which are just a knock off version of the Jeans I once wore in my old life. But their buttons where there should be a zipper like on military trousers. Their made of wool but it's not too thick or thin and pretty strong.
" also going have plenty stockpile too for spring so we can sell them in the North" Dacy says and give me some more Harts to keep.
I took them and listen to her explaining how we can fill the treasury up if we can sell them in White Harbor or have a trade fair. After that we pick up some fur cloaks Dacy had ordered from a tailor. She gets a grey and white one while my is pure black. And she also had a silver raven shape brooch made for me.
Next we inspect the food stocks and see their still plenty in storage for winter. Dacy decides to go back home to make sure lunch is being prepare right and finish some work she has.
I tour the new Guard house and assembly my expanded House Guards. The GuardHouse is two stories high with strong stone walls, thick metal doors and arrowslits for archers. There also a basement where the weapons, armor and gear is stored.
In the large public square in front of it one hundred Guards stood in full gear are in formation. A grin graces my face seeing the results of hard work and planning.
They are wore knock off copies of the US BDU in a greenish grey color or Fredgrau with forest green cloaks. All their equipment are captured Ironborn gear. Everyone has leather armor with mail over it, a spear, sword, shield and helmet with some also carrying axes too. Until next spring I going to commission new gear for them and organizing my levies into a like a national Guard.
Beside them their twenty personal Bodyguards in black BDU and red cloaks too. Their equipment the same as the House Guards and but they get even better training. All but three who with me are currently at the Longhouse. I waited several weeks for the uniforms to be made before recruiting men and costed me some of my dwindling funds but worth it.
The men were all hand picked and all veterans of my Rills campaign. I took to calling my personal bodyguards Housecarls and once winter gone I going to build more defenses for Gondor. Maybe a stone wall down a few years from now.
After inspection I dismissed them back to duty and walk around Gondor a bit. I stop at a small stone building where I created the first ever fast food joint…. Knytlinga's Hut
I just had to introduced the food of my old life. Burgers, Pizza, french fries ( or call by the locals Northern potatoes), sandwiches, streaks and few other things too. My fellow Northerners have fallen in love with the new food.
There currently a line and despite the weather people are waiting to order. Not surprising since because of rationing it's only open only once a day each week. When it's spring it be open everyday.
I past it not wanting to wait or cut in line. And go to the barber shop for a shave, the barber greets me exciting and offer me a seat. I ask for a shave and he begins to sharpen his tool then in five minutes he done. I pay him a stag and my Housecarls also get shaves or cut while I wait for them.
After they payed we continue on and some of the few shops that opened in Gondor.
A few more tailors, some dressmakers, candle makers, a new tavern opened up and a Inn too. The Tavern calls itself the Red Raven and Inn IronBreaker. Dacy laughed at these names and a brewery also set up shop.
A merchant named Harry from White Harbor established himself in the town and after meeting him we formed a trading company name White Raven. The man usual comes by once every year to sell his wares to locals.
But once he saw how Gondor had grown and is expanding. He decides to stay and sees the town has a future under my reign to become a trading hub in this region of the North. Once the snow gone and roads clear we be sending caravans to White Harbor. I can send Dacy's Harts this way to the only city in the North in the spring.
My final stop is a section of Gondor with pens and buildings with strong stone walls. There I check on the few aurochs, sheeps and goats I had saved for next spring. While not that many were saved, the remaining ones provide a steady supply of milk and wool.
Their well adapted to the brutal Northern winter with thick fur and can live on less food than most animals back in my old life. I already imagining herds of them for spring and auroch meat pretty good and tasty. The stoney shore despite not having great farmlands has plenty of suitable land for gazing if Lord Fisher let's me. If not I just gaze them on my lands.
Their fur good too and makes a decent coat or lining to use. Already I got a nice sizeable stockpile of soft and hard cheese stored up. And enough milk produced to actually deliver some to families with babies and make a steady flow of dairy goods.
After inspecting and poking the animals I go home where Dacy has a heavy meat stew waiting for me.
Month later
" my lord we cornered it"
I nod at my head hunter and follow him to a clearing where it is. Once there I see my prize surround by my hunting party. The beast tries to escape a ring of spears it from running from.
The boar squeaks and runs around in a circle looking where to escape. I grip my spear tight and leap forward thrusting it into the Boar's side. Instantly it unleashes a scream and I sink my spear deeper. William also spear it too to keep the boar from trying to escape. Now pin by two spears and trap it slowly stops struggling until I finish it off with a dagger to the neck.
More of its hot blood fell on the snow staining it and the pig died. I had Theo and two others start skinning the catch. While me, William and four other scouts for any more game. But nothing else in the forest at the moment and the men are done skinning the boar by the time we back. It cut up and package for the trip home.
Today hunting was a minor success, a sizable boar and a few rabbits too. Winter hunting not as fruitful as I were like but you take what you can. We camp in tents for the night and three men stand guard.
My head hunter tries to pick up any animal tracks the next day. He finds some tracks and lead some of us too to a deer that was a good size. I notch a arrow and shoot it dead on to its heart. It barely had time to lift its head before my arrow knocked him to the ground. I gave a cheer as we walk up to it and finish it off with a blade to the throat.
Begin dressing or removing the organs then slash the throat to hang from a tree to get the remaining blood out.
Mycah has a fire going and with two men have breakfast cook up. Not that it is much, biscuits, hard cheese, salt pork and some ale to drink. Spend the next three hours looking for more game but nothing good other than a few rabbits and two foxes.
Frustrate I order the men to pack for the trip back to Gondor. The men scramble to pack fast and get back to warm Gondor. The meat from our hunt and fur are loaded on to the pack mules. The tents too and we mount our horses then ride back to Gondor.
Took three days to get back home and Mycah rode ahead to alert them of us. The town gate was opened for us with the gate guards welcoming me. I smile at them and tell them our hunt was a success.
While true we hunted some game, the meat collected wasn't as much as I hope. The deer is a surprise since it should be south for the winter. But for some reason it was still hanging around here. Anyway the meat off to be salted and stored by the servants while my men huddle around the hearth to warm up.
As I shedding my winter coat, ushanka, scarf and wet boots. I find two puppies barking and yanking at my harts. I frown a bit their both grey with some brown and hounds. Dacy got them saying as a Lord I needed to have hound and their be great hunting dogs.
She even named them Hunter and Shadow. Despite my initial reluctant to the idea of them I like them now. I pet and scratch their bellies before playing fetch with them. They chase after the wooden spoon I found several times until Dacy brought out their food in two bowls.
She sweets talks with them and then lets them dig in. Dacy wore one of her new dresses and is follow by her new entourage. Her friend Pia as her Handmaiden and Pia's younger two sisters Jane and Violet as maids.
" good hunt?"
She ask me and I told her it was ok but their not much to hunt during winter. Then I ask how construction work for our keep doing. Dacy proudly say work is slow because of the weather but in several months they should finish the first floor.
And a pet project of my is finally done and waiting out in the courtyard for me. I exciting toss a cloak on and went outside. I went where she told me it is and saw three craftsmen waiting for me.
" just as you ask milord"
One said and they moved away to let me inspect it. A smile appears on my face at the sight of a bicycle…. Well a crude medieval one, the body made from iron, shape like a average one, leather seat with the handles wrap with soft leather and metal wheels. I thought about wooden wheels but metal more durable. It also had a chain too and the gears look right.
I mount it and try out the metal pedals wrap in hard leather. I move it a few feet to the wide eyes of the craftsmen and some guards watching. I can steer it and the bike held together under my weight. The metal wheels weren't like the ones I knew but their serviceable.
After some more testing I deem it a success despite a few flaws but that could be fix with in the next model. I also call the Bicycle the Raven-1 or R-1.
The craftsmen take note of the flaws and happily promise to fix them in the next ones. They exciting go back to the workshop with the R-1. I laugh at the thought of the faces the other lords will make when they see this next spring.
So much to do that I can't wait for spring to increase the local economy, build up Gondor some more and really establish myself in the region. I go back inside to eat with Dacy and discuss plans with her.
Ok sorry this took long folks I got busy and was planning the next chapter. Also polishing this chapter too and fixing mistakes.
So author note now: ok I know some folks might be thinking Cnut be inventing everything but he not a genius or knows how to. He be introducing more minor things like food, fashion styles, trade ideas and simple military reforms to his levies.
Next chapter winter be ending after a little over a year. From I can see in ASOIAF wiki winters can be short or long. So I giving him a short winter but a Spring of problems and a North that in trouble. Anyway Harthacnut be heading to White Harbour and seeing more of the North. I am going to marry him but I deciding between a Northern bride, southern one or even a foreign one.